European Stocks Close Higher;
Russian Stocks Continue to Rise

European stock markets, shrugging off the Asian economic blues and Tuesday's lower close of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, mostly finished between 0.5% and 1.5% higher on the day.

France gained 1.5% to a new high, while Germany and London both rose 1%, and Italy rose 0.8%. Russian stocks rallied 8.5%, as talk of an international aid package provided some support for the market after several choppy days.